Crystal River

This one's a cool one: the coastal city is known as the home of loads of Florida manatees. You absolutely must visit the animals at Three Sisters Springs and the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, a protected habitat established back in 1983 over 80 acres. Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self professed "Home of the Manatee". Crystal River is at the heart of the Nature Coast of Florida. The city is situated around Kings Bay, which is spring-fed, so it keeps a constant 72 °F (22 °C) temperature year round.

Kings Bay can be home to over 400 manatees during the winter when the water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico cools, and is the only place in the United States where people can legally interact with them in their natural conditions without that interaction being viewed as harassment by law enforcement agencies. Tourism is based on watching and swimming with manatee is the fastest growing contribution to the local economy. In 2005 there was a movement to dissolve the city which did not succeed, and the city has since grown by annexation. Spend the rest of your day at the Crystal River Archaelogical State Park, where you'll gaze at the remains of an early human settlement. And Crystal River promises to be one of the best secluded getaways from Miami.

Address: 123 NW HWY 19 Crystal River, FL 34428

Official site: www.crystalriverfl.org

Phone: (352) 795-4216

Entrance fee: $7.5 - $20

Google rating: 5.0/5.0